The present disclosure relates to a material spreader for spreading materials from a container onto an open area, such as a field. Normally, materials such as manure or fertilizers are evenly spread over an entire surface of the field using a discharge device driven off of a power take-off device.
In related art, material spreaders, such as a side discharge spreader, includes a drive that transmits rotational power received from a power take-off device to power one or more augers and the discharge device. The drive in the related art includes a housing having a front panel, a rear panel, a bottom panel, and side panels. The drive also includes a plurality of sprockets, bearings, sprocket shafts, and chains to convert power received from the power take-off device and to supply an appropriate rotational speed to the at least one auger and the discharge device.
The drive housing in related art also serves as structural support for the sprockets and sprocket shafts. The bearings are directly bolted onto the front and rear panels of the drive housing and the bearings in turn serve as support for the sprockets and sprocket shafts. In order to maintain sufficient strength and rigidity, the drive housing must be reinforced with bearing support structure.
However, the support structure minimizes available interior space within the housing. Additionally, since the bearings and other drive components must be installed directly in an interior of the drive housing, the confined space of the drive housing increases the time and labor required to complete the assembly of the drive. Along the same lines, if the drive requires maintenance or repair, a bulk of the components must be uninstalled from the drive housing. In particular, the bearings must first be unbolted from the front and rear panels in order to remove the sprocket shafts or to replace the sprockets. Due to the space constraints and the process of having to uninstall the bearings, increased time, labor, and costs are associated with the service and repair of drives in the related art.